Dyslipidemia in Seven Latin American Cities: CARMELA Study

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of dyslipidemia in the CARMELA study population.

Methods: CARMELA was a cross-sectional study of cardiovascular risk conducted between September 2003 and August 2005 in adults (aged 25 to 64 years) living in Barquisimeto (n=1,824), Bogotá (n=1,511), Buenos Aires (n=1,412), Lima (n=1,628), Mexico City (n=1,677), Quito (n=1,620), and Santiago (n=1,605). Dyslipidemia was defined as the presence of one or more of the following conditions: triglycerides>/=200 mg/dL, or total cholesterol (TC)>/=240 mg/dL, or HDL cholesterol<40 mg/dL, or LDL cholesterol=not optimal, or currently taking antilipemic agents.

Results: Prevalence rates of dyslipidemia in men and women were: 75.5% (CI: 71.9-79.1) and 48.7% (CI: 45.4-51.9) in Barquisimeto; 70% (CI: 66.2-73.8) and 47.7% (CI: 43.9-51.5) in Bogotá; 50.4% (CI: 46.8-54.0) and 24.1% (CI: 21.0-27.2) in Buenos Aires; 73.1% (CI: 69.3-76.8) and 62.8% (CI: 59.2-66.5) in Lima; 62.5% (CI: 58.5-66.5) and 37.5% (CI: 33.5-41.6) in Mexico City; 52.2% (CI: 47.9-56.5) and 38.1% (CI: 34.5-41.7) in Quito; and, 50.8% (CI: 47.1-54.4) and 32.8% (CI: 29.3-36.3) in Santiago.

Conclusions: Dyslipidemia was disturbingly prevalent and varied across cities. The most frequent dyslipidemia was low HDL-C followed by high triglycerides. The high TC/HDL-C ratios and non-HDL-C levels suggest a high risk of cardiovascular disease.